No

We successfully completed the Non Lucrative Visa (NLV) process and moved to Spain in May this year, so happy to help with any questions - either publicly or via PM.

Too be honest any advice will be much appreciated. Did you use a 3rd party to organise it for you or did you manage it all yourself. We can't even get thru to the consulate to even get the forms. Same with bank accounts we were in spain 2 weeks ago and didn't have the right documentation ,thought about trying to open one online. If you could possibly advise us on how you got your forms and if anyone who you got to help. We should  get our keys in 2 to 3 weeks and we're not out of the starting blocks. 

Look at the post below. There are 11 pages of really useful information and links. It really helped me through the process. Several people contributed (including RichT above), and it’s well worth a read.

Non lucrative visa

I must admit, I found Manchester Consulate extremely helpful. They answered my emails very promptly. 

The consulate websites, visas sections, provides the list of requirements, which I've copied below, with my additional comments in bold:

LIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS FOR A NON LUCRATIVE RESIDENCY

1 Passport or travel document valid for at least 6 months beyond the intended arrival to Spain with at least two blank pages to affix the visa.

2 One completely filled and signed National Visa Application Form.

3 Ex-01 form and 079-052 fee form to be paid at the Consulate on the day of your appointment. The visa and appointment fee totalled approx. £1,050 for the two of us.

4 One recent passport colour photograph. (No more than six months old)

5 For non-British citizens: A UK residence permit valid for at least 3 months. It can be either in form of Visa stamped on the applicant’s passport or a Residency Card. If you are a 'normal UK subject / citizen, this doesn't apply.

6 Medical (Health ) Certificate signed and stamped by a registered doctor. This Certificate must literally state that the Applicant does not suffer of any illness which represents a risk or a danger for the public according to the International Health Regulations of 2005. The document must be translated by a Sworn Translator only, and with the Hague Apostille if the country is a member. Otherwise the document must be verified by the Spanish authorities in the country of issuance. Our doctor charged £25 per certificate, using a template provided by our Spanish solicitor.

7 Certificate of Good Conduct issued by the country or countries where the applicant has resided in the past five years. The document must be translated by a Sworn Translator only, and with the Hague Apostille if the country is a member. Otherwise the document must be verified by the Spanish authorities in the country of issuance. This is a Police Certificate which is obtained from the ACRO website, at a cost of, I think, £55 per person - turnaround time was about 10 days.

Note - docs 6 & 7 had to be notarised (our UK solicitor charged £25 to do all our documents). The Hague Apostille is an additional government service, which costs £30 per document and has a turnaround time of about 10 days.

8 Full health cover for applicant and, if applicable, family member. There are specific policies, which must not include 'co-payments' which are acceptable for the NLV. Many companies offer these. We used Sanitas (which is part of BUPA), as our bank had a linked offer. I have seen DKV recommended by other people on this forum. The policy needs to be paid up front for a year and be 'live' at the date of the NLV application. We are 50 & 48, with no pre-existing conditions and our policy cost around £1,200 for the two of us. I have seen people with pre-existing conditions getting quotes as high as £6,000 pa each. It's important to shop around as prices vary significantly.

9 Means of maintenance in Spain in form of 2200 € per month for the main applicant. Each additional family member will need € 550 per month. In general, €33,000 pa for a couple.

10 All documents must be translated into Spanish (and where it specifies a 'Sworn Translator', these are specific translation companies that charge a lot of money (however, our Spanish solicitor included this in her price).

Although I would say that I am quite confident and competent in completing forms, gathering evidence, etc.; as many forms needed to be completed in Spanish (and mine is very limited) we used a Spanish solicitor (Raquel at BeGlobal Attorneys) to assist in preparing all the paperwork, making the appointments, etc. but there is still quite a bit of work you need to do yourselves.

For the 'means of maintenance' we provided evidence of cash in bank, shares, premium bonds, rental income from a property we own and rent out in the UK, and my pension pot.

In total, the process took us about 12 weeks and cost around £2,300 (excluding the cost of the private health insurance) - of which the solicitor's fees were approx. £1,000. When you get the NLV, you then have to enter Spain within 3 months and then start the rest of the process (below) within 1 month of entering.

When we got to Spain, we then had to attend the Foreigners' Office at a specific Police Station to have fingerprints taken; and be added to the padron at the town hall. Approx. 5 weeks after this, we collected our TIE from the Police Station.

This NLV lasts for a year, then you have to renew for 2 years, then a further two years, then you can get permanent residency. Although I understand the renewal process is less onerous than the initial application!

Hope this helps!

Hi Rich when applying for the NVL i get you have to show 33,000 in the bank on applying but do you have to show this amout every time you renew as well or is it just the once you have to show the 33,000.

thanks.

Phil

It doesn't have to be 'in the bank' necessarily, it could also be income from a rental property or a pension, for example.

At each renewal (end of Year 1, end of Year 3), you need to prove the same amount, which is c. €33,000 per year - so as the renewals are each for two years, you would need to show €66,000 per couple each time. However, that could be, for example, €20,000 in the bank, plus €10,000 per annum for each person in pension receipts.

Also, when you renew, you need to provide private healthcare or equivalent and also prove that you haven't got a criminal record in Spain.